Since beverages have been bottled the oxygen that remains in the beverage after bottling has been a concern. Oxygen remaining in the beverage has several deleterious affects. For example, higher oxygen content left in beer and wine degrades the palatability and reduces shelf life. Consequently, over the years there has been an increased interest in finding a means to reduce the oxygen that remains in a bottled beverage.
Inert gases such as N.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 are used not only to reduce oxygen, or other contaminant content, but is also an aid in dispensing the beverage by supplying pressure for dispensing the contents of the container.
While the bottling process has evolved to the point where a substantial portion of the oxygen has been removed, the remaining oxygen in the beverage is still a substantial concern. Specifically, concerning shelf life and flavor. It would therefore be beneficial to have a means to reduce the amount of oxygen that remains after the bottling process is completed. Additionally, under the current methods of bottling a small amount of beverage is lost. This is not only a financial loss to the bottler, but also creates a disposal problem, which causes more financial loss. It would therefore be beneficial to eliminate the need for the collection of waste beverage as an by-product of eliminating contaminate gases.